Saddleback Church Weekend Messages

Getting back on track does not start with fixing everything else. It starts with returning to God. Every area of our lives, our faith, health, finances, relationships, and work, flows from our relationship with Him. We looked at the story of Cain and Abel and saw the difference between giving God leftovers versus giving Him our best. Abel offered his first and best as worship, while Cain held back. God is after our whole heart. What we give our time and energy to is what grows. The appetite we feed is the appetite that shapes our lives. God responds to humility and holy hunger. As a church, we are stepping into 21 Days of Prayer and a season of fasting as we seek God together, leading toward our Return Gathering. This year, we are invited to trust God with our whole lives and give Him our best, not our leftovers.

A new year does not create a new life. A changed life begins with intention. This message reminds us that Jesus invites us into a life renewed from the inside out. We see the freedom He offers from the weight of our past through forgiveness, the purpose and fulfillment He brings to our present, and the faith He gives for the future that replaces fear with trust. Instead of striving for change on our own, we are invited to place our lives in His hands and let Him lead. As we trust Jesus more deeply and follow Him, our lives can become a story of healing, growth, and lasting hope.

This Christmas Day, Pastor Buddy Owens reminded us of the central truth of Christmas. God gave us His greatest gift, Himself, through Jesus. Scripture calls Him Immanuel, God with us, and His coming proves that God is not distant or disinterested. He is present, personal, and for you. We reflected on the humility of Jesus’ birth and how the King of heaven chose to meet us not in palaces, but in the mangers of life. Jesus entered our brokenness so we could experience the life God always intended for us. Through the incarnation, God made a way for us to be reconciled to Him and become His sons and daughters. Christmas reminds us that God is with you in every season, and He is for you. He sent Jesus to bring forgiveness, hope, restoration, and fullness of life.

This Christmas Eve, we gathered to celebrate Jesus and the gift of peace He came to give. We looked at a question many of us ask, is this really all there is? Scripture reminds us that God has more for you. He has a plan and a purpose, and true joy and lasting fulfillment are found as we know God, find community, pursue growth, make a difference, and impact the world. If those things stirred something in you, we invited you to start the new year with us as we begin our new message series, Back on Track. We also explored what the Bible says about peace. Jesus never promised a problem free world, but He did promise peace in Him. Peace is not the absence of chaos, it is the presence of God. As we closed with candlelight, we were reminded that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and His peace is available to us today.

When we look at the story of Mary and Joseph, we are reminded that obedience does not always come with clarity, comfort, or ease. But obedience places us right in the middle of God’s redemptive work and his plans for our lives. Their story shows us that our best response to God is often a simple yes, even when it does not make sense, even when it costs us, and even when waiting makes it harder. In this message, Pastor Andy Wood invites us to see Christmas as a story still being written and to consider how our ‘yes’ to God shapes who we become and the chapters God is writing in our lives today. As Christmas approaches, we are each invited to ask ourselves. What might God do if I offered him my best yes?

We all want our lives to tell a better story, and with God’s help, that is possible. In the Stories of Christmas series, Pastor Andy walks through three questions that shape the direction of our lives: What do you want, why does it matter, and how will you respond? Our desires influence what we notice, our expectations shape how we see God at work, and our choices move us toward the future we hope for. We are invited to let God reshape our desires, lift our perspective, and live with renewed anticipation. Instead of settling or drifting, we can lean in, pay attention, and take a step toward the story God is writing in our lives.

When we choose gratitude, God opens our eyes to his goodness and draws our hearts toward him, while entitlement closes us off from the grace he’s already pouring into our lives. In this message, Pastor Buddy concludes our series, Closer, by reminding us that gratitude is often the first step toward a deeper, more trusting relationship with God. We grow in gratitude by paying attention to the ways he cares for us and choosing to thank him throughout our day. And as this rhythm takes root in our lives, our faith grows, our joy deepens, and we begin to experience God’s presence with a clearer, more hopeful heart.

Do you ever feel like there’s something in your life you just can’t let go of, something that keeps you from fully surrendering to God and experiencing the closeness you long for? In this message, Pastor Stacie Wood unpacks what it means to open our hands and trust God with every part of our lives. Looking at the rich young ruler in Mark 10, we see a man who had everything yet could not release his grip long enough to follow Jesus. His story ends in sadness, while Peter’s story reveals the beauty of a surrendered life. Peter gave up much, but discovered that life with Jesus is more meaningful and rewarding than anything he could build on his own. That same invitation is in front of us. God calls us to trust Him with everything, knowing that what He gives is always better than what we hold onto. What might be holding you back?

What keeps us from feeling close to God? In the Closer series, we look at one of the biggest barriers: unforgiveness. While we all want a real relationship with Him, Jesus shows that unforgiveness can quietly block our hearts in ways we do not always recognize. Through the story of the unforgiving servant, we are reminded that God has already forgiven a debt we could never repay, and that extending forgiveness is part of the freedom He invites us into. Forgiveness is not pretending the hurt did not happen. It is choosing to release it, trusting God with the pain, and stepping into a life where nothing stands between us and Him. As we receive God’s forgiveness and extend it to others, we begin to experience a deeper closeness with Him.

This weekend was a powerful reminder that God calls us to dream big, to dream his dreams, and to step out in bold faith. As a church, we celebrated all that God has already done through Dream Now, from lives changed to ministries growing and new campuses taking shape. And we believe he’s only getting started. Together, we’re stepping into what’s next by faithfully responding to his call, trusting that as we give, serve, and pray from now through the end of the year, God will continue to do more than we could ever imagine. Learn more or get involved at saddleback.com/dreamnow